Conferences

Elizabeth Jennings is one of the most significant poets of the twentieth century, and wrote widely on poetic tradition and the importance of reading poetry. Her work was informed by poets from George Herbert and Christina Rossetti to Rainer Maria Rilke and Hart Crane, and by a mystical tradition she sought to reconcile with her Roman Catholic faith. While her poetry and prose are still studied by scholars, read at weddings and funerals, and used in religious seminaries and by mental health workers, her status as a poet, like the details of her life, remain elusive. The symposium, organized by Professor Emma Mason (University of Warwick) and Dr Jane Dowson (DMU) gathered academics, students, and members of the public to talk about her poetry, biography, faith and influence. Speakers: Mason and Dowson, plus Professor Michael Schmidt (founder of Carcanet Press), Dr Dana Greene (Emory University), Dr Hester Jones (University of Bristol) and Dr Jean Ward (Gdańsk University).